If you don’t get your first choice major but they want you, will they let you in your second choice major?
they will consider you for the second major you applied for.
Seeing USC’s 25th percentile for SAT to be around 1360, does that mean someone with a 1170 has no chance whatsoever?
I applied for Biochemistry and have:
SAT I (breakdown): 1170 C (630 M, 540 CR+W)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.83
IB Diploma: 35 (USC’s average) including 6 in HL Chemistry and 5 in HL Biology
IGCSE (end of year 10 exams in the UK): A+ in Chemistry and an A in Biology (if that matters)
Extracurriculars: Lots of voluntary work + school varsity soccer
State: Maryland
School Type: International
Ethnicity: African American
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: $150,000
Strengths: Essays are probably my strongest point.
Weaknesses: My SAT score
Where else I’ve applied: Fordham (accepted), UCSD (waitlisted), UCSB , UF, NYU, Boston U (rejected)
If USC only had an ED or EA offering of some kind, I am quite sure that both of my daughters would have applied to far fewer schools. But it is all basically as @momof3co suggests.
Here is the brutal truth of things as it is right now… with the advent of the Common Application and other methodologies making it far easier to apply to more and more schools + falling admit rates at the top-25 or even top-50 colleges + more and more seniors applying each year, the cycle tends to demand applying to more and more schools. And then that of course feeds into the same dynamic, making it still worse and worse year after year.
Now, if you are a stellar candidate and also an URM or from a less populous state or maybe have a solid hook, then you could possibly get by with applying to less schools. You do then at least have some inherent advantage aiding your cause slightly in terms of how admissions officers evaluate you. They are after all trying to craft a well-rounded and diverse freshman class. If you are a white male, you can likely apply to just a safe #, as applications from white males overall are falling. 10+ years ago that was not the case. There were too many white males applying in the past. But… if you are Asian or Asian-American of either gender, you best be applying to all that you can afford to or secure an early commit to a school that you would not mind attending. They as a group are the most disadvantaged currently simply due to the # of qualified applicants applying vs the # that schools are willing to accept. And it is only slightly better for the many overachieving unhooked white female applicants, as they are next in line in terms of there being way too many applications from their category. 10+ years ago, they would have done better. These are just the current facts. It may change later… but if you are applying next year or applied this year… you have no other recourse but to deal with the reality of things.
So… it really depends on who you are and how you self evaluate your chances in this current admission climate. On CC, it is very common for someone to say that they do not understand a rejection… after all they had a 3.98 unweighted GPA, strong ECs, excellent essays, 7 APs, and scored in the 98th or higher percentile on all standardized tests. But they seldom add in what may have limited their chances… & it could be as simple as being from CA, TX, NY or FL. Holistic means that they look beyond just the stats. But often it means looking beyond ECs and Essays too. Demographic factors are considered and most schools cap entrants based on those key factors.
USC, as discussed in the article I link to below, caps legacies and even candidates in the 99th percentile. They have to… there is just not enough room.
Anyone that can secure an early admit to a dream school or top three school can likely breathe easier & apply to less. But if USC is your dream school, you cannot secure an early admit - just by committing EA or ED. And there are now no guarantees for even the top candidates ( as USC AdCom officials describe themselves in this insider’s article:
https://tfm.usc.edu/a-guide-to-uscs-college-admissions-process/
So, if you are holding out hope for USC… as both my daughters were… you really have no choice but to over-apply.
I have said it before, my older daughter was rejected by 12 elite colleges just 3 years ago. Her GC, teachers and even the HS principal were all shocked. They had predicted that she would get in to most. The stats I quoted above were hers. But 12 schools still passed. They had too many other stellar candidates just like her to choose from.
In a world where top schools routinely reject 85-95% of all applicants… no one is safe just assuming an admission. So that’s my take, @lab99 .
It is good to have hope but keep it real. This article regarding 2016 applications has been posted often. It is a must read for applicants to help them be prepared. Check out the quote here from the article below:
"Forget the myth that admission is all about the numbers. Says Timothy Brunold ’92, USC’s dean of admission: “This year, we turned away 3,000 people with 99th percentile test scores. We just don’t have enough room.”
https://tfm.usc.edu/a-guide-to-uscs-college-admissions-process/
Post edit:
Just realized I am posting same article as above! It actually is a very good article worth mentioning twice.
Kids apply to 15-20 schools. Never regret applying to too many, would regret not applying to enough. It’s a jungle out there.
Indeed, @blueskies2day
And another reason is the cost factor. Not all admissions are created equal in terms of how it equates to the final cost of attendance… Financial Aid offerings vary widely, and so do scholarships - merit or otherwise. It is not simply enough to gain a couple quality admits if those schools then still remain out of reach financially. Applicants apply to many schools both in terms of being safe from an admission standpoint, but also in terms of finances. We all need options. And hopefully we all achieve them.
Hi there @jh1868 , I was recently rejected from UCLA (#UCLARejects), but was admitted early into USC & received notification that I’m being considered for their presidential merit scholarship. Don’t be discouraged by a rejection; there may well be other schools with lower acceptance rates who want you.
I guess since there is another 5 days till results we can pass the time on this thread discussing whatever we want without fear of being accused of derailing it. 
I like that. Anything to pass time.
Regarding number of apps, another thing not mentioned so far is how many kids change between fall and spring of Senior year. One of mine applied to tons of schools because they were considering several very different majors. So you have to apply to a couple or few schools (a reach/match, etc) that may be strong in each of those majors. Very few schools are good at everything (except USC). Seriously, they are pretty darn good at EVERYTHING plus you have flexibility to dabble in different areas or combine majors and minors. Every school should operate the way they do so kids have the ability to explore. To add to the pain of applications, mine applied to 5 or so UCs and two months later realized she didn’t want to attend a UC being unsure of her major and worried the school would be too inflexible (bye bye that $400, ouch). Maybe we should have discussed that prior, but I like them figuring things out on their own and not having too much of my judgement on their choices.
I realize being able to apply to a lot of schools is a luxury. I don’t see it as a competitive advantage as much as just covering as many bases as you can in hopes that most of the aspects of college that are important to that particular student come together at one of them. I just don’t consider how many one applies to as knocking someone else out of a spot.
This thread is so helpful. So many well-informed parents here. Good luck to everyone awaiting the USC decision next week.
PrimeNumber2 I agree. I’ve read several things I had not considered. Keeping notes for my second go around in a couple of years.
hi, when USC says they’re going to mail it on the 23, approximately how many days later will it arrive? thanks
Thanks all for the different perspectives and opinions about how many schools to apply. I wish my parents were as involved. It seems it comes to how much money are you willing to spend in apps and then the fin aid aspect (as some don’t even need it to attend a private school). It is definitely a weird system where some folks can and are paying to improve their odds. I don’t blame them for trying anything to improve their kids’ odds.
At the end, we must believe we will attend whenever we are intended to go. Good luck to all!
So what’s the verdict about trying to track ups, usps and or DHL packages starting the 23rd? Some say that USC is on to that and doesn’t make them trackable. Thoughts? .
@wherewillibe2021 When they mailed the merit scholarship decisions it took about a day or two, so by Friday or Saturday, depending on where you live.
I don’t have much knowledge concerning the USC admission process, but when UCSD sent my admission package i was checking myusps every day in advance and the package did not appear on my dashboard. I would assume the same applies for usc.
@mominfl I would never mind eating crow if I am wrong about something, but I am about as sure as I can be on the packages not being trackable. But don’t mind this post, a bunch of people will still try to see if it is tracked. It is fun to watch the mayhem unfold come Thursday, with the same question being asked every third post and people trying to track an untrackable package - but it is better than just sitting around stressing (which is very difficult not to do).
USC makes sure tracking is not enabled - it is up to the sender to specify that. It may be a free service for you to track your package, but the sender can choose not to enable it by not paying for it. My thought (for what it’s worth) is the day that every package is formally tracked will be the day USC starts relying on portal updates like other schools and send the packages after that, because tracking totally defeats the purpose of this grand production of theirs.
You can read how it works here from a postal site:
"One of the many options that you can add on to your shipment is the ability to track and confirm its delivery. But how much does USPS tracking cost? In some cases, this can be a very inexpensive feature, but for volume shipping it can get more costly. Understanding exactly what USPS tracking is, and what you can expect it to do for you, is the only way to decide if you need to spend money on it.
HOW MUCH DOES USPS TRACKING COST?
On the individual package, for any First Class, Priority Mail or Priority Express Mail package, the cost of tracking is very low. It is only $1.05* directly at the post office counter, or you can add it to your online purchase for $0.23*. The tracking must be added at the time of shipping. You cannot purchase tracking for packages that are not yet shipped. In other words, you can’t tie it to a shipping number. Once the package has been shipped, you cannot add tracking to it."
@ars121798 did you hear from an admissions officer in HKUST? They emailed me last week asking if I had any questions about the admissions process.
@lisabelle306 It came two days after it mailed. Like it was mailed Jan 23, and they were received Jan 25.
Did you mean Trustee scholarships for merit scholarship decisions. Are the Trustee decisions announced?
Yea I’m wondering the same thing, when will the presidential scholarship decisions come out for those who interviewed for them and the FA decisions for that same groou? Anyone know?